To the absolutely lovely, breathtakingly beautiful women of the Vanguard University Women's Chorus:
I recently found out that Joni has been sharing a bit of my journey with you and that’s really exciting to me. So I asked and decided that I wanted to write something to you guys. To a group of women that I’ve never met.
Because I was you.
[me and my girls our last concert of tour senior year]
And it’s because of the fact that I was you that I am able to know that without a shadow of doubt that you are lovely, hysterically funny, beautiful on the inside and outside and probably can silence a room when you make music together.
And it’s because of the fact that I was you that I know that you can and will learn so much more then music in your time in the Dub-C.
I was literally one of you for 4 years from 2003-2007. I made my best friends in that choir. I found my legs as a leader my junior year as one of the librarians and then [because God has a sense of humor] as the president my senior year. My girls and I loved being apart of that choir. We fought for it, we made it wonderful because we knew we were wonderful.
I am there in spirit and forever a member of the Dub-C. In all honesty some of us have probably held the same piece of music. Sat in the same seats in Needham.
I am honored that my name is on a plaque in the music office and blessed that my years as apart of that ensemble are stitched on my heart.
[last fantasia]
Whether you are a freshman or senior, whether you have had one Fantasia season or 4 you know at this point that sometimes? It can be hard to be in an all women's choir.
Going into the race and into training camp last year I kind of hoped I wouldn’t be on an all girls team mainly because I had spent four years making music with 50-60 women.
But lo and behold God had other plans.
And it’s in those plans that I have realized how utterly grateful I am for all of the women that I interacted with in my years at VU.
I’ve been contemplating the last couple of days what I might want to share with you guys.
And God put something on my heart.
At debrief this week our squad coaches were here. We had different sessions and meetings. And in one of our sessions our squad coach Betsy talked about holding space for ourselves and for others. God is teaching me in this season of my life to hold space for myself.
But what I want to encourage you guys to do?
Is hold space in your lives for each other.
I get that choir life is busy. I get that college in busy.
[PS you're welcome for the ball. In it's glitzy craziness it started December 05]
But you guys have a privilege to do something and be people like no one else on the Vanguard campus. You have a moment, time and space to be sisters.
To care for each other.
To comfort each other, to take communion with each other.
To laugh. To have fun.
To just be.
I know that you meet 3 times a week to perfect music. But what would it look like, what would your singing, your worship look like if you took time after that and around that to open up space in your life for someone in the choir you wouldn’t normally be friends with.
What if you took time to have conversations that honored God.
What if you ACTIVELY spoke LIFE and TRUTH into one another?
Like I said- I don’t know you guys, I’ve most likely never met anyone of you. But I want to challenge you to take time in rehearsal, or sectionals, in the hallways, in other classes to choose to be a group of women who REFUSE to speak death and lies, who REFUSE knock each other down with their words. What if you chose to be a group of women who REFUSED to believe the lie that you cannot be bold because you are all women but that you are so POWERFUL because of it.
Can you imagine how that would change how you worshipped together?
It’s one thing to be a choir that sounds amazing. It’s another to be one who truly worships and reaches out for the spirit of God together. A choir who prays together. Who listens to God on behalf of each other.
There is so much that Christ was to teach you through your season in Womens Chorus.
There is so much He will teach you through your peers and the music you sing.
And of course:
Through Joni.
[my favorite moment of grad week]
[Or as we lovingly called her: Jo-mama-fu.]
Joni holds a very, very special place in my heart. I learned and have continued to learn so much from her not just as a professor but as a friend. Lean into all she has to say. Treasure the moments where you will stand in front of her as she directs. They were the best times I had in college. My VU experience would be so much different if it didn’t involve Joni.
So all of that stuff that I want to challenge you to do: holding space for your choir-mates, speaking life into them, praying for them, leaning into what the spirit is saying about them?
Do that for Joni as well.
You will never grasp how much Joni loves you, You will never quite grasp all she does for you.
Pray for her. Speak life into her. Affirm her. Love her well because she will always love you guys well.
Thank you guys for following my journey. Like I said, I’ve never met you guys but I feel a kinship to you all.
I love you guys even though I have never met you. I’ve prayed for you guys. I’m been excited when I hear how well you are doing.
So I will close this increasingly long letter out with this. With a statement that I heard Joni say daily and it echos in my head and heart DAILY on this thing called the world race.
Above the trials,the heartaches, the bad days, the good days, the 8am classes, the butt crack of dawn call times, the hours upon hours on tour busses.
For the moments where you don’t want to speak life or truth or love into people:
Above ALL of that.
[me and my Dub-C girls on my Baccalaureate
night]
Choose JOY.
With light, love and so many blessings,
Megs
